This channel is the home of the Ancient Technology Podcast, and my documentary work about ancient engineering, lost knowledge, and the open questions of human history.
I’m Karoly Poka, a technology innovation research engineer. As a hobby, I use modern tools like 3D scanning, field research, and technical analysis to take a closer look at ancient structures, precision artifacts, and technologies that don’t fit neatly into simple explanations.
Here you’ll find full podcast episodes, long-form conversations with researchers, and documentary-style investigations focused on evidence.
#27 - Can Modern CNC Match Ancient Egyptian Precision? | Graham Van Zuilecom
Graham Van Zuilecom is a machinist from Australia. In this episode, he shares how he recreated the “OG” Egyptian vase in aluminium using modern CNC technology. We discuss the machining process, the time and cost involved, the results of our 3D scans, and his plans to make a version in granite.
Graham's business: https://cncroutersaustralia.com.au/
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Chapters:
0:00 Intro
2:02 Graham’s Machining Background
5:38 What Is a CNC Router?
11:19 How Graham Got Into Ancient Technology
14:49 Measuring Ancient Stonework in Egypt
19:21 Ancient Saw Cuts, Core Drills & Abrasives
29:13 Serapeum & Abusir Measurements
34:28 The Precision of Ancient Egyptian Vases
36:24 Can Modern CNC Reproduce the OG Vase?
39:55 Making the Aluminium Vase Replica
48:55 Machining the Interior, Handles & Exterior
01:01:57 The Hardest Part & Cost of the Replica
01:13:50 Laser Scanning the Replica
01:27:29 Concentricity, Heat Maps & Tolerances
01:43:47 Comparing the Replica to the Original Vase
01:46:08 The History of Precision Machining
01:54:01 Could the Ancient Vases Be Modern Fakes?
01:59:33 The Next Challenge: Making It in Granite
02:04:24 Chinese Replicas & What “Accurate” Means
02:10:15 Final Thoughts & Outro
6 Sept 2026
#26 - What Sumerian Tablets Really Say About the Anunnaki | Dr. Mark Weeden
Dr. Mark Weeden takes us through how cuneiform was deciphered, why Sumerian went unrecognised for decades, and what the Mesopotamian texts actually say about the Anunnaki. We also cover the flood myths, Göbekli Tepe, and whether the Hittites really invented iron.
Dr. Mark Weeden: https://ucl.academia.edu/MarkWeeden
🎧 Check Out Other Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5w7ZZHKlr0Ro64uA-ZH3uvSNyzsCKO57
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Join this channel to get access to perks: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/karolypoka/subscribe%E2%81%A0
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Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
2:21 - Who is Dr. Mark Weeden
8:47 - How writing began
13:50 - The earliest tablets, seals, and bureaucracy
20:00 - What cuneiform is
24:54 - Behistun: three languages on one rock
36:06 - Hurrian, Urkesh, and the lion inscriptions
39:54 - The Tower of Babel
43:57 - Flood stories
46:50 - Atrahasis and the gods on strike
53:56 - The Anunnaki story & what the texts actually say about the Anunna
1:04:52 - Göbekli Tepe
1:09:22 - Did the Hittites invent iron?
1:22:48 - What is written on Mark's T-shirt?
1:26:52 - Closing and Outro
Resources:
Büklükale glass bottle study (Matsumura): https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352338175_A_GLASS_PRODUCTION_CENTRE_IN_CENTRAL_ANATOLIA_BUKLUKALE_IN_RELATION_TO_ALALAKH_AND_MESOPOTAMIA
The Egyptian (1954) video clip that Mark mentions:
https://youtu.be/5y1ovnPT6wI?si=kccuN4siYani4WlT
Cult as a Driving Force of Human History
A View from Göbekli Tepe: https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/cult-as-a-driving-force-of-human-history/
Signlist: https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/osl/signlist/Overview/index.html
The Sculptures and Inscription of Darius the Great on the Rock of Behistûn in Persia
by L.W. King and R. Campbell Thompson: https://archive.org/details/the-sculptures-and-inscription-of-darius-the-great-on-the-rock-of-behistun-in-persia/page/n37/mode/2up
Manuel d'épigraphie akkadienne by René Labat: https://archive.org/details/manueldpigraphie0000laba/page/n7/mode/2up
Seals and signs: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/seals-and-signs-tracing-the-origins-of-writing-in-ancient-southwest-asia/B3C2D400F3F80A7A0162D9035C9C2804?utm_source
16 Aug 2026
#25 - Ancient Egyptian Precision: What 3D Measurements Reveal | Marián Marčiš
Marián Marcis is a surveyor and associate professor of photogrammetry who uses 3D measurement to test long-standing claims about ancient Egyptian stonework. In this episode, we discuss his peer-reviewed experiment in the Aswan quarry, how long the unfinished obelisk would really have taken, the saw marks on the Hordjedef sarcophagus, the famous "overcut" at Karnak, and the symmetry of Ramesses II. We also dive into how photogrammetry works, what it can and cannot tell us, and why a mobile phone is now a serious measuring instrument.
Marián Marčiš:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marian-Marcis-2
https://x.com/mariusderomanu3
The problems of the obelisk revisited article:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212054823000292
🎧 Check Out Other Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5w7ZZHKlr0Ro64uA-ZH3uvSNyzsCKO57
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Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ancienttechnologypodcast
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Chapters:
0:00 - Intro & Welcome
1:39 - Meeting in person and working together
3:58 - Who is Marián Marcis? Surveyor & photogrammetry specialist
7:28 - Why scan rocks? Marián's first trip to Egypt
13:45 - What is photogrammetry?
39:42 - Scanning Equipment: Cameras and softwares
54:22 - What limits accuracy and alternative scanning techniques
57:52 - Egypt, the unfinished obelisk, scoop marks & the competing theories
1:04:00 - How does the quarrying process look? & Engelbach's experiment
1:13:46 - Röder, Lehner & Kruglyakov studies
1:18:36 - Marián's own experiment in the Aswan quarry
1:24:25 - 15 minutes of quarrying, before & after 3D models
1:33:12 - Hatshepsut's obelisk &final remarks
1:46:18 - Citizen science & the unfinished sarcophagus of Hordjedef
1:51:40 - The circular saw claim
2:03:21 - Karnak's sixth pylon: the saw marks & the "overcut"
2:09:15 - The colossal Ramesses II hand at Karnak & the original statue
2:15:50 - Crown symmetry analysis in Luxor Temple
2:19:17 - The Ramesses head: photogrammetry vs LiDAR vs Luma AI
2:26:18 - The Serapeum box
2:32:24 - Closing thoughts & where to find Marián's work
2:35:00 - Members special & Outro
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